Differing from Poa gigantea (Tovar) Refulio in having glumes 3/4 to 7/8 as long as the adjacent lemmas (versus glumes about as long or longer than the adjacent lemma), a callus with a sparse, short, dorsal tuft of woolly hairs (versus no web), culms 50-72 cm tall (versus 22-58 cm tall) and spikelets 4.1-4.8 mm long (versus 5-5.5 mm long).

The species is known only from the type collection in Provincia Bolivar, Ecuador.

Conservation status.

The species is apparently rare. Google Earth view [26 Mar 2018] of the pass location where the new species was collected in 1990 indicates the area is now covered by small farms.

Etymology.

The specific epithet honors Simon Laegaard (1933-), a renowned Danish Botanist, who has made extensive collections in Ecuador, Greenland and South America.

Discussion.

There are a number gynomonoecious species of Poa occurring in northern South America, Central America and central Mexico but all have loose, open panicles, except the new species and species of Poa sect. Dissanthelium (Trin.) Refulio ( Refulio-Rodriguez et al. 2012). Most of these open-panicled species of Poa supersect. Homalopoa (Dumort.) Soreng & L.J. Gillespie and the new species have glabrous lemmas and a web on the callus with a perfect lower floret and a pistillate upper floret. The new species appears to belong within Poa subg. Poa supersect. Homalopoa ( Giussani et al. 2016). Poa sect. Homalopoa s.str. may be restricted to Eurasia and North America while most species of the New World are placed in sect. Homalopoa s.l. ( Giussani et al. 2016; Soreng et al. 2003).

Poa gigantea ( Poa sect. Dissanthelium) is morphologically similar to our new species but differs in having glumes longer than or equalling the adjacent lemma, an unwebbed callus, shorter culms 22-58 cm tall and larger spikelets 5-5.5 mm long ( Tovar Serpa 1985; Refulio-Rodriguez 2012). Other Ecuadorian species of Poa with narrow, spikelike panicles includes: P. chamaeclinos Pilg., P. scaberula Hook. f. and P. subspicata. We provide a key to separate these from the new species below ( Hjorth 1991; Soreng and Peterson 2012).